NEWS ARCHIVE 2001
Wallington fete
on 12 June 2004 held a surprise in store
for many when several of its inhabitants who had never sung in a choir
entertained us as part of the Wallington Wailers. They were so successful
that encores were called for. They were led by Charlie Thomson who
hopes to organise a capella (without accompaniment) choir from
September to perform for Christmas. If you are from the villages and
are interested in joining call him on 01462 630282. Meanwhile to get
an idea of his particular brand of singing he holds a harmony singing
workshop on the first Saturday of each month from 10.30am to 1pm at
Howgills (the Friends' Meeting House) 42, South View Letchworth, cost
£7.50, £5.00 concessions.
The
children (and adults) of the Rushden Mothers and Toddlers group were enjoying
themselves preparing for the Christingle service. This was held at St.
Marys, Rushden at 3.30 p.m. on Sunday 9th December. Click
here for some photos.
Carol
singing raised over £200. Thanks to all who sang and all those who gave so
generously. Andy would be proud of us. Click
here for some photos
Tudor
food evening Caroline
Yeldham proved a definite draw for foodies and historians alike on Friday 16th
November at the Village Hall. The parsnip fritters in particular went down very
well. We learnt that vegetables weren't as badly thought of by the Tudors as we
had been led to believe and also ways to escape eating salt cod. Over £100 was
raised towards the Church and several people commented at the end how good it
was to have something so completely different as a fundraiser. Thank you
Caroline and all those who came. Click
to see the photos
It's
Rushden website's first birthday and already we've been visited by over
2000 people, that's ten visits for each head of population. We hope you've all
enjoyed visiting us and will continue to do so.
It's you we are running it for. If you want to say Happy Birthday to us we'll be
delighted to hear from you. Why not visit the
Discussions page and wish us Happy Birthday.
Not only is it Rushden's first birthday, but we have just found out that we were village website of the month in September.
This is a well maintained and popular village web site with strong local support, and well deserving of this months award.
Sandon
Church saw a moving tribute to those who have died and those who
continue to work to preserve peace in our world on Armistice Day.
Ray Williams, Chaplain to the local branch of the RBL gave a thought
provoking address telling us that it is the duty of all of us to
work for peace today. We were fortunate to once more have Mortimer
Rhind-Tutt to play the trumpet for the Last Post and Reveille and to
join the organist in playing Haydn's Trumpet Concerto at the end of
the service. During the service, offertory bowls donated in memory
of John heron were presented to Sandon Church and blessed by Rev
John Walker.
Refreshments were served afterwards in the Village Hall where Jeff Mason, the Chairman of the local RBL thanked all those who had worked for the Branch in the last year. It was good to see well known faces and also those from the past such as John and Phyl Pedley who had travelled from Suffolk to be with us for the day and also Mervyn Williams and his wife.
Thanks
to the Orpheus Choir Rushden Church is now £364.40 richer. The evening was a
great success. Everyone enjoyed listening to a wide repertoire and some
beautiful voices. Thanks to all those who helped. Sue Austin on the door, Ruth
and Christopher West on the bar (Ruth says its her métier!) and Joanne Garrett
and friends in the kitchen. Also members of the PCC and Sue Whiting for doing
the salads. You did a wonderful job. See
the photos.
As
a celebration of somebody's 27th birthday (yet again) Rushden
Bellringers took off for an August 
celebration. They rang on the good 5 at
St Andrew's in the delightful village of Alwalton, just to your left of
the A1(M) heading North.
Lunch was at the Cuckoo Inn followed by an afternoon with Thomas the Tank
Engine and his friends at the Nene Valley
Railway. To prove it the Ringers
had their photograph taken with Thomas and the Fat Controller, though if
truth be told the Fat Controller seems to have lost a bit of eight...
On Wednesday 29th August, the
Diocesan Organ Preservation Officer visited Rushden Church to give his
views on what should be done about our church organ. He was exceedingly
complimentary about the organ, but mentioned that our major problem was
our old friends the bats! It was felt that a net backing and a top might
help this problem and a general clean and overhaul was needed. Jean Chalk
could not remember it ever being cleaned, but she did remember when it was
pumped by a young boy, so we can assume it has not been done in living
memory. It was suggested that a second opinion and quote was obtained for
the cleaning and overhaul.
Rushden's
wedding of the year took place on Saturday, July 28th in blazing
sunshine and from the moment Fiona Whitton arrived in her flower bedecked
Model T Ford everyone entered into the magic of the occasion. The bride's
dress was made of ivory slub satin with lace overtop hand beaded by the
bride's mother. It was a
real village wedding with all involved (apart from the groom, Gary Murphy)
having a local connection. Village Voices sang in the Church, beautifully
decorated by Ann Bradley and Linda Hill, The marvellous spread in the
ballroom like marquee was provided by Carol Lincoln and Oliver Glaze
played with the band Pink Champagne. As evening gave way to night and the
candle lit lanterns shone across the garden, the guests felt they were
taking part in a beautiful fantasy. It is a day that will be remembered in
the annals of Rushden for many years to come. Click
here for photos of the
wedding.
In
response to several requests John Dingemans is selling the photos from the
Dinner Dance and Auction. They are in .jpg format (1200 x 1800
pixels) on CD and can be viewed on computer or printed out. The CD also
contains a program to view them as a slide show or email them to Jessup
who will send you prints in the post. In addition there are also photos of
the Millennium celebrations and other Rushden events and views, some of
which are on this web site. In total there are over 300 photos for the
price of £10.00. All proceeds to the Rushden St. Mary's Church. Orders to
john.dingemans@farmline.com
or contact him direct.
The
dinner dance and auction organised by Chris Thomas and committee at
Bluntswood Hall was a great success, particularly for St Mary's Church as £4265
was raised from the auction and a donation of £3000 was pledged by an
anonymous donor. The morning after, no doubt saw several villagers gazing at
empty cheque books whilst clutching aching heads and trying to remember what
they had bid for. Who did get the off loadings of the Garrett's horses at that
staggering sum? The music was supplied by
Pink Champagne who were fantastic and helped the real champagne to be even more
enjoyable.
Thank you to all who supported the cause and to all the hard workers behind the
scenes, Colin Bayles as auctioneer (someone suggested he should take it up
professionally!) Chris Garrett as MC and the Smythes for their generosity in
loaning Bluntswood Hall for the occasion. Click
here to see the photos.
In
spite of the rain, the atmosphere at Rushden was buzzing as the Mayor from the
other Rushden opened the Village Fete on Saturday 16th June. A live band played
in the Hall and the fun started. Both David Cole and John Dingemans were on hand to take
some excellent photos. Click
here to see them.
We raised £3,200 in spite of the atrocious
weather, this includes £1,350
for the raffle. Well done everybody!!. Thankyou to everyone who came and a particular thankyou to all those who worked
so hard to make it a succesful day in spite of the weather.
WEDDING
BELLS RING
When
Rushden's Tower Secretary's goddaughter , Sarah Merriman, married Tony Barnett
at neighbouring village Sandon's All Saints Church on Saturday 19 May, Sandon
bellringers stepped to one side and handed the ropes to six members of Rushden's
band. In the circuumstances, the band made their fee the wherewithal to toast
the bride and groom, and here they are doing it. Steve White (conductor); Alan
Webb; Kenneth Parker (proud godfather); Sarah
and tony Barnett; Sue Bradbury; Bob Weeden and Bernard Henbest.
(click for larger
photos)
The
Commissioning Service for Rev Di Williams on Sunday 3rd June saw a clergy filled
church. The Archdeacon of Hertford gave the address, which included several
amusing anecdotes of life in the Ministry. We will all need to support Di in her
new role as Rural Dean. We had not realised how many churches there were in her
area.
Mary
and Tony wish to move, but don't want to leave the area. Who will play the organ
after all? Here's a poem Tony's written to say what they are looking for. Any
offers?
| "As One Door Closes.." The die is cast The house is up for sale The parting after all these years Could cause the shedding of sad tears Enough to fill a pail. But no good comes from getting damp We must be of a sterner stamp For though it's been a happy home The upkeep makes our coffers groan The olds are gone The youngsters fled Too big a place for just one bed. In any case, it's what we planned And now we're looking for a plot of land Somewhere in the neighbourhood Among you folks who are so good Where a cottage might be placed In the best environmental taste. Were you the owner of a site Which you believe would be just right We could offer you a goodly sum In fair exchange for such a plum This opportunity, though heaven-sent Would be subject of course, to planning consent. |
Anyone who can help PLEASE contact the webmaster@rushdenherts.org.uk!
POLICE WORLD
Hertfordshire
is now to be divided into three new areas with ours, the Eastern Region being
the largest and stretching from Royton in the North to Cheshunt in the South and
incorporating Hitchin to the West.
CCTV is being installed in Royston and Baldock. There is to be cross border
liaison with Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire Constabulary.
There is a proposed meeting to discuss young people and their needs in the area
on 8th September 2001.
25 June 2001
Thank
you for all of your emails - I will be taking up the poor distribution of
leaflets for the Ashwell public meeting with the company who provide the
service.
I will ensure that you receive a copy of the minutes from the meeting in due
course. At the meeting, the issue of traffic being diverted through the
village of Wallington in the event of the A507 being closed, was discussed.
The officers present undertook to raise the matter with the Road Policing Dept.
The fact that residents in Rushden and Wallington no longer have a letter from
the local police officer in the gazette was also discussed. Pc Mingay
stressed the importance of the dialogue between the community and the police - I
will forward your email to him.
Annie Saunders (click
on name to send e-mail)
Hertfordshire Police Authority
Edward
Hill has very kindly allowed us to link to his fascinating 'Recollections
of Rushden' history, which he has loaded onto the internet. This
is a site that anyone and everyone living in Rushden should visit.
18 June 2001
Dear
Residents of Rushden
My name is Annie Saunders, I am the Communications Officer for Hertfordshire
Police Authority and have responsibility for organising public consultation.
At the Public Meeting held in Ashwell on 13 June, two
residents of Rushden mentioned that they would appreciate better notification of
meetings. I was concerned to hear that they had not received fliers
through the door inviting them to attend the meeting. The Public Meeting
had been organised for the residents of the villages of Ashwell, Barkway,
Barley, Bygrave, Caldecote, Hinxworth, Kelshall, Newnham, Nuthampstead, Radwell,
Reed, Rushden, Sandon, Therfield and Wallington and the distribution company had
been instructed to deliver fliers to all households within these villages.
I would be grateful if residents could advise me whether or not they received
fliers through their doors.
I apologise to those who were not aware of the Public Meeting and therefore
missed the opportunity to have their say about local policing issues.
Thank you for your help.
Regards
Annie Saunders (click
on name to send e-mail)
Hertfordshire Police Authority
In
addition to their bell ringing activities, the ringers would like to
recommend the Red
Lion at Dunston and The
Royal Oak at Scopwick, not to mention the King's
Arms at Wing, where they enjoyed lunch with Lesley Heron.
They thoroughly enjoyed all the churches rung at, particularly St
Michael and All Angels at Stragglethorpe and would like to thank
all those who made them so welcome in their travels.
They would also like to remind readers of this page about the Annual Rushden Grand Village Mystery Outing on Saturday 22nd September.
POLICE NOTICE
No sooner was PC Nick Eliason appointed than he was reappointed to Letchworth, so we are once more without a community liaison officer. Notwithstanding this problem, the Police have promised to regularly Email us their updated newsletter. Their latest one tells us that crime is down in all of North Herts, but warns everyone to protect their vehicles against car theft, including cars that ram others from the back and then when the driver stops, steal their belongings.
A red Vauxhall cavalier with an F registration is being used by an active burglar so watch out.
SPEED RESTRICTIONS
Signs
have now gone up in the village for planning permission for the 30mph speed
limit.
We're on our way at last!
This
picture of Stile End has kindly been given us by Bill Skipp, who is researching
the background to his family. He recently visited Rushden and found Stile
Cottage to have changed very little since the photo was taken over 100 years
ago. The two people in the photo (click on photo for a larger image) are Bill's
great grandmother Jane Dowler (married to Alfred Skipp) and Jane's mother who
was married to William Dowler.